How To Ruin The Original Work (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
“Well done. Ever since you humbled the Political Studies department at the Eve Festival party, our department’s expectations for you, Nigel, have grown considerably. By the way, at the end of each year, awards are given to the highest scorers in each grade and department, so I hope everyone participates actively.”
Snap!
At the sound of Oliver’s flicking fingers, a rulebook appeared in each student’s hands.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of pages turning filled the student council room.
“Hmm, your department truly shows remarkable scholarly enthusiasm.”
Oliver nodded contentedly.
“Scoring in campus competitions grants you 5 base points; winning gold earns you 10, silver 7…”
“What’s this ‘Sword-Magic Grand Tournament’ held during the semester? What even is this?”
“…Wait, last year’s prize was Lepharo?!”
Although spoken softly, every student turned their heads simultaneously toward that voice.
Lepharo was a potion no student of the Magic Department could possibly ignore.
It was a miracle potion—consuming a tiny vial no larger than a finger would prevent one’s mana from depleting for anywhere between two weeks and a full month.
“That’s right. This year, our department’s prize is again Lepharo—or, if you prefer, a wish-granting token for anything the student council can fulfill!”
Oliver said this, visibly pleased by the students’ reactions.
“Nigel, did you hear that? It’s Lepharo!!”
“Yeah… I see…”
Of all possible rewards, it had to be Lepharo—something she absolutely didn’t need. Her motivation plummeted straight through the floor.
“Haha, I see excitement beaming from everyone’s faces. Then, shall we take another round of questions? Ah, you there—the girl with the high ponytail in the back center?”
“The rulebook says defeating a student from the Swordsmanship Department earns one point, but isn’t fighting on campus against school rules?”
Oliver rubbed his lips with a meaningful smile.
“An excellent question. Technically, it’s prohibited—‘technically,’ by the rules. Did you catch my meaning?”
“…So as long as we don’t get caught?”
At the same moment, Nigel’s eyes also gleamed with knowing intent.
[This is the timeline separator]The next morning.
Nigel finished her breakfast as usual, using the Political Studies department’s glares—especially those from Sid Cromwell—as side dishes.
“Today’s finally our first Magic Department class!”
“You were acting like a sick chicken yesterday, but today you’re bursting with energy, Allen.”
“Naijeeeel!”
Allen lightly scolded her.
“Oh, Vessalion. You didn’t forget morning training again today, did you?”
“No.”
“What did you do this morning?”
“I ran ten laps around the training grounds and practiced basic stances.”
“Good. You still have evening training, right?”
“In the evening, I’m scheduled to spar after training with Professor Rone and the other seniors.”
Nigel nodded.
“Good. Keep working hard.”
“Yes…!”
…Wait, what in the world is this?!
The orchestra inside Allen’s head had just declared a temporary strike.
Between a boy and a girl, especially at this most beautiful age—how could their conversation end so dryly, sounding more like that between professor and student than anything else?! Was this even reasonable?!
Moreover, the one responding was actually grinning contentedly, as if finding something particularly delightful.
Could it be they’d signed an employment contract in the forest instead of having done… you know…?
Allen tilted his head in confusion.
…No, his sharp intuition screamed—literally shouted—that something was definitely going on between them.
Nigel, whose expression rarely changed, might be hard to read, but Noah clearly felt more than mere fondness.
Allen could tell just by looking into Noah’s eyes—they reminded him exactly of his cousin’s gaze on his engagement day.
That unwavering, confident brightness in his eyes—utterly devoid of hesitation.
“Well… there’s charm in clumsiness, isn’t there!”
“…Allen? Are you talking about how horribly you explained your swordsmanship skills yesterday?”
At Nigel’s words, Noah burst out laughing.
Allen’s face instantly turned bright red.
“Nigel! You said I could do whatever I wanted yesterday!!”
“I didn’t expect it to be that funny! Even Professor Rone said you were trying hard and left without giving any advice.”
Nigel smugly shrugged her shoulders.
“Ugh, you don’t even seem like the sword-wielding type—where on earth did you learn to wield a blade?”
Noah stopped laughing and stared at Nigel.
“Tilin. They come from a family of Holy Knights.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. Becoming a Holy Knight of the Temple is incredibly difficult—you need to pass the official priesthood exams first, then take a separate Holy Knight examination.”
“Yeah, they’re someone I deeply admire.”
Nigel recalled Ron’s face, particularly the dimple that appeared on his left cheek when he smiled.
“If they’re someone you admire, I’d really like to meet them someday.”
“Indeed. I’d love to spar with that family member you mentioned.”
“No. Especially not you, Vessalion.”
Who are you trying to half-kill?
At this firm refusal, Noah clamped his mouth shut.
Hehe.
Seeing this, Allen seized the opportunity.
“Wow! That means I’ll get to meet Nigel’s family before Noah does!”
“…Well, I suppose that might happen someday. Allen, stop dawdling and let’s go—we’ll be late for class.”
Nigel quickly picked up her pace.
She’d checked in with Noah Vessalion and even offered encouragement… this morning was perfect.
[This is the timeline separator]Heres’s classroom wasn’t located inside the main academic building but in a separate annex.
The annex was large and circular. Seats rose in height the farther they were from the low, wide, circular podium at the center, ensuring every student’s eyes were naturally drawn toward the stage.
Ding. Ding.
Shortly after the bell rang, Heres entered through the door.
He stood at the center of the classroom on a large, circular podium with nothing but a massive crystal orb.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, the word “Heres” appeared in glowing blue letters in midair.
As Heres slowly rotated his index finger, the letters followed its motion, turning gradually in sync.
“Welcome, everyone. My name is Heres, and I’ll be teaching ‘Understanding and Application of Magic’ this semester.”
Clap, clap—applause rang out.
“Since it’s our first day, instead of diving straight into the lesson, I’d like to do something fun.”
Heres stepped toward the massive crystal orb, which stood as tall as a person’s torso.
“To master magic, two things are essential: the quantity of your mana and your control over it.”
As Heres placed his hand on the orb, a faint glimmer at its center grew steadily brighter, soon radiating as if about to burst the orb apart.
“Whoa…!”
Just as the light threatened to spill beyond the orb’s confines, Heres removed his hand.
“That is the sheer quantity of mana. You all saw how the orb nearly exploded, didn’t you? Imagine the orb as your body—this moment mirrors the mana awakening every young student in our Magic Department experiences: an overwhelming torrent of mana bursting through your core.”
Heres placed his hand back on the orb.
Light again filled it completely, but this time, there was no sense of impending shattering or tension.
Heres smirked and raised his empty hand.
As he moved his hand, the light within the orb followed his gestures as though it were his shadow, dancing fluidly inside.
“How about something even more interesting? You, sitting in the very front—do you prefer mountains or the sea?”
“The sea.”
“I see… then we’ll need a sandy beach first.”
At his words, golden sand appeared within the previously light-filled orb.
“And, of course, a familiar-looking sun.”
This time, the top of the orb turned deep blue, and within it, a red sphere rose like a sun.
“Finally, we’ll need ocean waves.”
Now, crashing waves filled the orb, completing a perfect miniature seascape.
“Wow…”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Applause and whistles erupted from all around.
“Thank you for the applause. I think I don’t need to explicitly explain ‘control,’ do I? A mage earns the title only when they possess both abundant mana—enough to undergo mana awakening—and the ability to control it precisely, just as you’ve witnessed.”
As Heres withdrew his hand from the orb, the beautiful beach dissolved into white mist and vanished.
“Now, you understand your task for today, right? Each group will come up to the podium and place your hand on the mana orb. Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t awakened your mana yet—this orb will light up as long as you have any mana at all. Surely, there’s no one in this classroom without mana, is there?”
Ha-ha—the students laughed. After all, everyone is born with mana.
“Oh, almost forgot—just in case someone today happens to shatter the orb, I’ve placed a protective barrier around it. Let’s begin with this group first, shall we?”
[This is the timeline separator]Laughter and cheers never ceased in the classroom.
Magic Department students conjured shapes of animals and people—sometimes perfectly, sometimes barely recognizable.
Students from other departments, though unable to form clear shapes, gleamed brightly at the sight of their own light glowing within the mana orb. One even produced a glow larger than those of Magic Department students.
“Alright, last group! Please come forward!”
At Heres’s call, Nigel, Allen, and Noah rose from their seats and walked down to the podium.
Immediately, the atmosphere grew noticeably colder.
Nigel As—the one who, on her very first day, had bluntly refused transfer recommendations from professors of other departments.
Everyone was eager to witness with their own eyes just how talented she truly was in magic.
Meanwhile, Nigel was chatting with Allen and Noah.
“Nigel, what are you going to make?”
“Hmm… maybe a forest?”
“That sounds cool—it suits you. Ah! It’s my turn. I’ll go first!”
Allen placed his hand on the mana orb. It quickly lit up, and the light began writhing, slowly shaping into something.
“What’s that?”
“Oh! It’s a puppy chasing a bone!”
Students burst into laughter at the sight of a scrappy-looking puppy chasing a bone just out of reach.
“Alright, guys—wish me luck!”
Allen waved and returned to his seat.
While Heres briefly adjusted the orb, Nigel turned to Noah.
“Vessalion, what brought you to the academy?”
“Oh, I…”
“Alright, inspection complete. Next up, please!”
Nigel let out a faint sigh and placed her hand on the mana orb.
Since other students usually took some time for their orb to light up, Nigel glanced back for a moment.
“So, why did you come?”
KABOOM!!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the room, followed by the sound of something shattering.
Nigel quickly turned her head.
“…?”
Her eyes widened slightly, blinking once… twice… at the scene before her.
The mana orb had completely shattered, its fragments scattered everywhere.
And… on the previously intact wall, a massive hole—or rather, a gaping tear large enough for a person to walk through—had appeared.
“…Did I do that?”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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